How To Plan a Team Building Event for Work

The time has come for to plan a team building event for work! You’ve lined up a list of options for your team and now it’s time to figure out which group activity is going to be the best for the team.

Here is a list of considerations we’ve compiled to help you design the a great company outing and be the hero of the office.

Big Group VS Small Group

It all starts here. Make sure you have a reasonably accurate headcount before you put out that first call or email to any vendors. If you are a group with more than a dozen people, that Escape Room idea probably isn’t going to fly. Conversely, if your small team tries to book an outing with one of the mega-event companies out there it is unlikely that you’ll even hear back from them.

Pick an activity and a venue that will be grateful for your business and will put their full efforts into entertaining your group.

Active VS Sedentary

Make sure you have a good idea of who is participating and how much activity they can bear. If this is a team of young go-getters, find something where they can flex their muscles and get some exercise. They might want to burn off some steam in a more extreme activity.

If your team is more diverse in regards to age or fitness levels, you probably don’t want to book that rock climbing wall or indoor soccer game. People might not feel comfortable attending, or worse, they could get hurt during the activity.

It’s always tough to please everyone, but this is the category that can get you into trouble with HR if you don’t play your cards right.

Near VS Far

Location is the next factor you need to decide on. How much time do you actually have to take off work for this event? If your plan involves carpooling and herding your feline co-workers to a distant destination, you are going to need to add significant time to that time-off request. Just think of how hard it is to get everyone to show up on time for the company meeting!

If your company is in a downtown area there is a good chance that someone has developed a team building activity right in your backyard. Do some research on Google and ask your colleagues what they know.

Alternately, if you are a larger group, the vendor can sometimes bring the activity to you. That brings us to our next criteria…

Inexpensive VS Spendy

There are huge variations in the budgets that allocated for a team building for work. Some larger companies can rent out the local theme park for a day, while smaller companies and start-ups might need to find an activity that is frugal and fun.

A key point to remember is that company team building doesn’t need to cost you a fortune. Get the sign-off from management on how much you can spend per person and work backwards from there.

One of the best ways to save money is by finding a self-guided activity. Any time you require a staff member from the vendor to facilitate the event or to customize it for your crew, your costs are going to shoot through the roof.

When budgeting for your work event, don’t forget to include drinks and food! Some of the best group bonding can occur over beers after your event as people share a laugh and let their professional guard down.

Deep VS Fun

The final consideration is how deep you want this event to be.

If this is an annual event, it might be worthwhile to bring in a professional team building organization who will conduct trust exercises, personality surveys, ask challenging questions, and inspire your group. It’s going to cost quite a bit and is a bit more risky, but can be well worth your efforts if you pick the right organization.

On the other hand, sometimes you’re just looking to have a fun afternoon. Get the troops out of the office, have a good laugh, and provide people with with a chance to get to know one another.

Hosting regular team building events for work is a great way to bring your employees together and build deeper group bonds. After all, aren’t you always much more likely to respond quickly and provide help to a co-worker that you like?